Car-coupling.



' Patented Jan. 23,1917.

I. H. MILLIKEN.

CAR COUPLING. APPucATloN min m1. 11. 191s.

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72 www 6 6 pnl UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC H. MILLIKEN, OF ASPIIUVALL, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 THE MCCONWAY&

TORLEY COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN-SYLVANIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

Application filed January 11, 1916.

T 0 @ZZ whom t vmay concern Be it known that I, ISAAC I-I. MILLIKEN, acitizen of the United States, residing at spinwall, in the county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Car-Couplings; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

My invention relates to the construction of car couplers wherein thecoupler head is pivotally mounted on the coupler stem or other means bywhich it is connected to the framing of a railway vehicle. The tendencyon the part of some railroads to use heavier coupler heads, heavierknuckles and other coupler parts, consequently results in 1ncreasing thelength of the coupler head from the pulling face rearwardly to the pivotor connecting pin attaching the head to the stem, thus increasing theordinary overhang of the head beyond the carry-iron. This extra weightand overhang increases the tendency of the head to droop on the stem,especially as the pivot pin becomes worn from service.

The primary object of the invention is to provide simple and efficientmeans which are especially well suited for counteracting any suolidrooping of the coupler head with respect to the stem as might resultfrom wear of the pivot or connecting pin in couplers wherein the headshave a longer overhang forward of Vthe pivot pin than is usual. To thisend, I combine with a coupler stem, acoupler head which is pivotallyconnected to said stem so as to swingwith respect thereto on a verticalaxis, and a slide or frame yieldingly mounted on the stem and involvinga plurality of laterally spaced bearing faces which engage the couplerhead on opposite sides of the pivotal axis thereof, said bearingsextending to a greater vertical distance below the longitudinal axis ofthe stem than above the same. Such a combination involves the preferredembodiment of my invention.

In the drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiment of myinvention, the scope whereof is pointed out in the claims: Figure 1 is aplan view of a car coupler involving the invention, a portion of thecoupler stem being omitted and parts of the car Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Jan. 23, 1917.

Serial No. 71,526.

framing being illustrated in order to exhibit the relation of thedevices thereto; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the car couplerillustrated in Fig. 1, port-ions of the car and of the coupler headbeing shown in vertical section; and Fig. 8 is a transverse section ofthe coupler at a point slightly to the rear of the pivot pin by whichthe coupler head and coupler stem are connected, the coupler head beingshown in elevation.

In the drawings, 1, 1 are the center sills of the car, 2 indicates theplatform end casting or buer casting, 3 is the buffer plate, 4 is thefoot plate, which extends between the buffer plate and the buffer orplatform end casting, and 5 is a carry iron which'is secured to the carand passes under the coupler stem to afford a support for the coupler.These parts are shown by way of illustration only and are not essentialsof the invention.

The head of the car coupler is indicated at 6. It is pivotally connectedto the coupler stem 7 by means of a vertically extending pivot pin 8,the coupler head being thus capable of swinging laterally with respectto the said stem. Mounted upon the coupler stem so as to reciprocatethereon is a frame or slidable member 9 whose rearward movement isyieldingly resisted by means of a longitudinally extending coiled spring10. At its forward end the slidable frame 9 is formed with laterallyspaced bearing faces 11 which respectively engage correspondingvertically extending faces 12 with which the coupler head 6 is provided.The spring supported slidable frame 9 operates to centralize the couplerhead 6 in a well known manner, which will be readily understood uponreference to Patent No. 950,485, William Kelso, issued March 1, 1910.The bearing faces 11 at the outer end of the frame 9 extend vertically agreater distance below than above the longitudinal axis of the couplerstem, and the mating bearing faces 12 of the coupler iead 6 arecorrespondingly extended.

The coupler head 6 is formed with a rearwardly opening pocket 13 whichreceives the forward end of the frame 9 and also the forward end of thecoupler stem 7. rIhe pivot pin S by which the said head and with arecess 14: which is adapted to receive UG the lower end of the pivotpin. The recess 14 extends upwardly between the laterally separated armsof the slide 9, the pocket 13 being thus formed with a rentra-nt lowerwall which also forms a wall l of the said pivot pin receiving recess14. K

In a car coupler constructed in accordance with my invention thetendency of the coupler head to droop with respect to the stempractically eliminated; moreover, wear of the pivot pin connecting thecoupler head and the coupler stem greatly reduced and there is,therefore, a corresponding' decrease in the tendency of the coupler headto droop. As will be readily appreciated, the means which I employ tocounteract drooping of the coupler head are applicable with specialadvantage to that form of car couplers in which the pivotally mountedcoupler head is yieldingly centralized by means of aslidable framecarried upon the coupler stein.

I claim:

l. In a draft appliance for railway vehicles, the combination with acoupler stem, of a coupler head pivotally connected to said stem so asto swing` on a vertical axis, and a yieldingly supported member slidablymounted on said'stem and engaging said coupler head below said stem.

In a draft appliance for railway vehicles, the combination with acoupler stem, of a coupler head pivotally connected to said stein so asto swing on a vertical axis, and a yicldingly supported member slidablymounted on 'said stein and having portions which respectively engagesaid head at a greater vertical distance on one side of the longitudinalaxis of the stem than on the other.

3. In a draft appliance for railway vehicles, the combination with acoupler stem, of a coupler head pivotally connected to said stem so asto swing on a vertical axis, and means carried by said stem forresisting` drooping' of said head with respect to said stein, said meansinvolving a plurality of laterally spaced bearingl faces which engagesaid head on opposite sides of the pivotal axis thereof and which extendto a greater v rtical distance below the longitudinal axis of said stemthan above the same.

4. A coupler head having alined openings adapted to receive a verticallyextending pivot pin whereby it may be pivot-ally con nected to a couplerstein, said head having; a pocket adapted to receive said stein andbeing,- provided on its under surface with a recess adapted to receivethe end of said pivot pin, said pocket being' provided with a rentrantlower wall which also forms a wall of said recess.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

. ISAAC H. MILLIKEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G.

